Echizen Coast - Echizen's rocky coastline is famous it's beauty and for delicious crab, as well as other seafood

Tojimbo - a beautiful rock formation located in the north of the prefecture; sadly also a popular suicide location and rumored to be haunted

Eiheiji Temple - the head temple of the Soto Zen school of Buddhism, established in 1244

Mihama - literally "Beautiful Beach", a small ancient fishing village near Tsuruga also where apparently Oda Nobunaga, who is famous for uniting almost all of Japan under one rule, spent a night after a rough battle and thanked the locals by having a garden placed in the backyard of the fief lord's house

Fukui is directly across the Sea of Japan from the Korean Peninsula. Its harbors are frequented by Russian and Korean cargo vessels.

Although the present characters for Fukui means "lucky well" (福 = lucky or fortunate 井 = well - ie. water hole), the city was originally given the name "福居" in 1623 by its daimyo Matsudaira Tadamasa. The name was changed during the Genroku era for uncertain reasons -- one theory even claims that it was due to a clerical error.

The dialect spoken in Fukui is widely different between south and north. The southern dialect, called Wakasa-ben, is near to the Kansai dialect, however the northern dialect, called Fukui-ben, has a sing-song-y rural feeling to it. The Mihama dialect in southern is like many country dialects in Chubu.

If you are able to travel by car or by bus, Fukui is accessible via the Hokuriku Tollway by car from all parts of Chubu, and several different bus lines make stops at Tsuruga and Fukui City from places like the new Chubu International Airport and Nagoya home of the 2005 World Expo.

Fukui has the largest rate of car ownership in all of Japan, and for good reason. The public transport is not as well developed as in other areas of Japan, such as the Tokyo or Kansai areas. However, it is possible to access most areas by train or bus.

There are two types of trains running through the prefecture: JR and private train line. The JR line runs north-south (coming from Kyoto/Osaka in the south and Kanazawa in the north) and most stop at Tsuruga, Takefu (Echizen City), Fukui City, and Awara. There are a few private train line with their own stations that are better for shorter distances, though more expensive than the local JR trains. One runs through Echizen City, Sabae, and Fukui City (Transfer on foot from JR at Takefu/Echizentakefu, Sabae/Nishisabae, or Fukui/Fukuiekimae). Another line runs north from Fukui station. There is also a line east to Ono City.

Buses are another way to get around, though they are most frequent around Fukui City. Buses do reach most smaller towns, but there are usually only a few per day. Check on last bus times, since buses do no run late at night.